Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Get Lucky Today!

Have you noticed that a lot of bloggers are promoting worksheets that you can print off and use the next day? Be cautious about embracing this. Kindergarten students need to interact with materials and use manipulatives on a concrete level to build understandings. Small group instruction and work stations help them to make connections and work towards becoming independent. I think we need balance with all of this and because life is so busy we fall down this "black hole." I know I have. However, there are so many amazing resources that can keep our kids excited about learning! Are you with me?

 It's a struggle to keep up with all the demands of a classroom and have any time left for yourself and your family. Literacy and math stations require a lot of prep and this can become exhausting. Worksheets can be useful to check for understanding but only if they are well designed and used strategically.
At this time of year I have an emergent reader that my students love and it has such a positive message... I need positive! Click on the picture to grab this little reader.


This packet is filled with activities to keep learning exciting in your classroom and gives you an opportunity to see how their skills are coming along. There is definite prep involved but I think it is worth it. Laminate all the games and activities, label it, put it in a container and pray that you can find it next year. I have it in my TpT store so click on the picture and it will lead you there. Have a lucky day friends and remember to "teach to the core." You can also click here.

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Who Wants Freebies Today? Hop on Over!

Some of my fabulous friends and I have been working our tails off to prepare for the Southern California Kindergarten Conference! We are so excited to present, celebrate and have an all around wonderful time with some fantastic teacher friends in Pasadena, California at the end February.

We want to share all that fun with ALL of you! Soooo....
We are having a little hop over on our FACEBOOK pages. Start on Dragonflies in First's FB page and hop your way through some fabulous freebies from some amazing teachers. 

It's a short hop and you won't want to skip a step because it ends in a chance to win an AMAZING GIVEWAY!

It all begins Saturday! What a fabulous way to start the weekend!

Happy hopping!!

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Presentation Countdown... OMG

The days are going by quickly and I am working feverishly to finish my presentation for this incredible event...


Look at this line up and tell me that you have every intention of coming to this amazing event! Our very own Deanna Jump is the keynote and if you have ever heard her speak you won't want to miss this event. She rocked it out in Vegas and now you can actually meet her. This is going to be such a blast. 
Come and meet the Southern Cal bloggers. These gorgeous teacher bloggers are some of the best in the west! Did I really just say that? Okay, that was corny. I love these ladies and yes we do hang out together. Grab a ticket before they sell out and you are feeling so sad. I am taking off two days from work which is unheard of! What is the topic? Common Core- what else?
 I cannot wait to go to all these sessions and learn from this talented teachers. Woohoo... let's get this party started! Treat yourself to a ticket. You deserve it. Register right here!


Come back on Saturday for the Facebook Hop we are having where you can collect a billion freebies. Please "like" my Facebook page so that you can get some cool stuff to use next week! Promise? My friend Traci has worked her buns off to put this together. Check out her blog Dragonflies In First and yes- buy her planner. It is AMAZING!


Like all our Facebook pages when this goes live over the weekend. You will not want to miss this. I am so excited to be a part of this group... We are having a blogger bash at this conference with freebies, raffles, TpT gift certificates and even a photo booth.We have a bizillion giveaways that have consumed my life for weeks, not to mention presentations filled with ideas to take home and implement. Now if I could just avoid standing in the front of the room I would be a happy camper. Just sayin'

Meet the Presidents: Kindergarten Kids Love Non Fiction!

I love teaching about the presidents in celebration of their birthdays in February. My partner was born on Lincoln's birthday and I was born on Washington's. Yup, I swear this is the truth! The kids get such a kick out of this and we love teaching about these two important leaders. This books have been some of my best sellers because their is so little informational text out there that young children can actually read! Much of what is available is too complex for young learners. However, I do have a few favorites you might want to check out. I am a big fan of the scholastic series My First Biography. They have a limited number of books but my guess is more will come. Common Core requires that we read more non fiction to our students 

and I think they need readers that reflect this shift. If these readers appeal to you they can be purchased here and here. I provided a colored version for the teacher to present and a black and white version for your students. The dots are under the text to help children with tracking. What are some of your favorite activities to do to celebrate these holidays? We make a tall hat for Lincoln with a shiny penny glued to the front that  the kids get to clean themselves. This is a big hit with the boys! For Washington we make a red, white and blue three cornered hat with a feather (Michaels purchase) with a fake quarter in the center. This is a great time to talk about money with your students and do some probability work, flipping a coin to determine heads or tails. Students have a blast with this. So take some time out of your busy day to expose your students to biographies that they will enjoy.

Monday, February 3, 2014

And the winner is...




How lucky is this lady? She won a free ticket to the Southern California Kindergarten Conference. Okay get over it. You'll win next year. If you are still interested in hanging out with the bloggers at the event you can still purchase your ticket. Take a break from teaching... kids... the husband and join all of us for an event you will never forget.


You can even meet Deanna Jump. The whole conference is on Common Core and we are showing up at this party and rocking it out. Are you in? I know it's hard to get away but this is really worth it. Does Common Core scare you to death? Learn how to make it work in your classroom with 31 children. It will be a weekend you'll never forget. I promise. I will even be there. Come to my session and introduce yourself to me. The bloggers are taking over and you won't be sorry. Hang with us. There will be goodie bags too. Woohoo ! I am super excited. I have worked on my presentation for weeks and I am giving away a ton of freebies. Show up. That's it. Be there or be square.


SCKC Spring Conference Graphic.  Come one, come all!









Sunday, January 26, 2014

Look who will be at the Southern California Kindergarten Conference... Get your ticket!

Have you heard about the Southern California Kindergarten Conference?! It's a two-day conference in Pasadena, California geared toward early childhood educators. If you live in Southern California {or want to come out to visit!} and you teach Pre-School, Pre-K, Transitional K, Kindergarten, or First Grade, this conference is for you! Learn all about teaching Common Core Standards, organizing your classroom, reading and writing tips, classroom management and more!
Want to know the most exciting part?!? Some of your favorite Southern California bloggers {and a very special guest!} will be presenting at this conference on February 28th and March 1st!! Look at all these fabulous bloggers you can meet!
Want to know what we're the most excited about?! Our very first BLOGGER BASH!!! A party?! Yes, thank you!
Come meet your favorite bloggers and enjoy an evening of food, prizes and fun! Each attendee will receive a fabulous dinner, a goodie bag {full of freebies!!!}, and a raffle ticket to enter for some amazing prizes! We will have a short little blogger presentation and then the rest of the time will be for chatting and asking questions! You can purchase your Blogger Bash ticket for only $25 {here} or call (661)297-6900 to reserve your seat!
Are you excited yet??! How about a chance to WIN a FREE registration to the two-day conference?! Well, it's your lucky day! SCKC has generously allowed us to giveaway one free registration to the conference! Enter using the rafflecopter below! The giveaway will end on February 1st and the winner will be announced shortly after!
Print this flyer and hand it out to your fellow early childhood education teachers
A very special thanks to our sponsors!

Friday, January 17, 2014

You Won't Want to Miss This Emergent Reader on Martin Luther King


This is one of my favorite emergent readers for Martin Luther King and is a great follow up when you come back to school on Tuesday. It helps children set personal goals for the second half of the year now that they realize what they need to work on. It is so cute to have those rich conversations about what they want to work on. You will love listening to their goals and dreams and the inspiration for all this is an American who worked hard, had goals, struggled, but still followed his dreams. I love this connection and I think it is powerful for our little ones. If you are interested you can find it for just a few dollars right here. Let me know what you think of the book and what you like to do to celebrate Martin Luther King
Do you need a freebie to add to the excitement? I think this is a keeper for our kindergarten kids.


Do you need something to help you celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday? How about making a special necklace that is quick and easy. The directions are in this little packet and will add some fun to this important national holiday. It's a freebie and we all love free- right? Click here for this. Don't forget to grab the emergent reader I created entitled, What Is Your Dream? The link is on the post just below this one. If you like the freebie please leave a comment and I hope your students like the bling!
These graphics are from Melonheadz Illustrations and she did the most incredible job. The other graphics belong to www.DJInkers.com There is so much talent out there... Now go teach about this great leader.


Monday, January 13, 2014

Baby It's Cold Outside... for California

Happy New Year everyone. I have been so busy preparing for a conference presentation that I have neglected my blog. I want to post some products that I have that are ideal for this time of the year and are aligned to the Common Core:



This is a great product which is filled with literacy and math activities. No it is not just printables that you run off. I am not a big fan of that and trust me principals are not impressed when they walk into your room and see too much of that. The Common Core is about kids working collaboratively and interacting with each other to build knowledge. This packet is filled with activities that kids can do at stations to build their understanding of counting on, the teen numbers, sight word games, more letter knowledge practice, winter vocabulary,etc. If you have ELL's this will be a good match for your students. In addition to that it is filled with emergent readers that my students love using.

I have retelling cards and a reader for The Mitten. I like to read a variety of versions of this story and compare and contrast them. Retelling is a really important skill for our little ones since it leads to their ability to summarize and our ELL's need oral language practice that is fun and interesting. This cards will fit in your pocket chart and become a flow map! If this sounds like a good match for your kiddos you can grab it here.
Stay cozy with these "Winter Warm-Ups that meet the Common Core. I will post some other products later when I can grab a few minutes. What activities do you love to do with your kids at this time of the year?


Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Need A Gift For Your Secret Pal At School? Shhhhh...

Right now things are crazy at school but I am having a blast picking out or making gifts for my secret pal. Why not make the gingerbread play dough for your kinder friend or a teaching friend with young children. I have even made this for parent volunteers in my classroom and wrapped it with a gingerbread cookie cutter. It's homemade and much appreciated. If you want to add in these simple mats for a little something extra from the elves you can grab them right here but be sure to leave a comment just to add some Christmas cheer. The students in your room could certainly enjoy them at a math station too! Happy Holidays!

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Okay so I forgot the recipe... I'm on it!

This is not my recipe. It comes from the most amazing site for cookies in the world. If you visit this lady she will make you feel bad about yourself. Your cookies will seem pathetic by comparison so don't say I didn't warn you. I could spend all day on her site and Facebook page. She is truly a cookie artist. Remember that I warned you. Do not lash out at me...Check out her elf cookies and leave me a comment once you stop drooling over her work...http://www.sweetsugarbelle.com/.